


Habseligkeiten

by Avanalae



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M, Memories, Memory Loss, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-03 01:59:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11522166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avanalae/pseuds/Avanalae
Summary: Literally defined as belongings, Habseligkeiten are the small treasures and property, which define our happiness and sentiments. Although these possessions hold a dear place in our heart, they are useless to another person, such as a gold coin a child found during a treasure hunt in the woods. Overall, Habseligkeiten is characterized as beautiful personal belongings, which evolve from personal meanings: compassionate or sad attachments.





	Habseligkeiten

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place before and during the first season

There are two things that Keith carries with him at all times.

 One is a photograph.

The other is half of a shell.

To others, they would be nothing special.

But to Keith, they are _everything_.

_

Keith waits and waits and waits some more, but Shiro never returns and he’s desperate - angry at the garrison and the sheep – furious with himself for never just coming out and _saying it_ –

Keith braces his elbows on his knees and plants his face in his hands.

All he can do is focus on that _something_. Something that’s calling him, reaching out and tugging at his consciousness. He focuses on it with the passion of someone trying to run from his feelings.

But at night he holds close the only picture he has.

His only picture of Shiro.

_

He’s back but everything seems somehow…

Wrong.

Shiro doesn’t really look at him anymore. If he does, it’s just as a comrade in arms.

His eyes…

Does he even remember Keith?

In the privacy of his room he sits and thinks.

Shiro went through so much, it’s natural that he wouldn’t come out of it quite right or completely whole. That’s not the issue.

The issue is that in his time spent with the Galrans, he seems to have forgotten Keith and their close friendship.

There were no casual touches anymore. No soft smiles or gentle laughs.

No more looking at Keith like…

God, Keith realizes, maybe his feelings weren’t so unrequited after all.

But now it’s too late.

Shiro doesn’t look at him like he does the stars anymore.

_

They’d taken a break, gotten leave for the both of them.

Together they went to the coast, to a sandy beach hidden away in the craggy rocks.

They’d had a day together, playing in the water, building sand castles – more like mounds – and just generally enjoying each other’s presence.

It was towards the end of the day when Shiro came up to him, holding something.

“Here, give me your hand,” Shiro reached out with the hand that wasn’t closed.

Keith obliged and moments later Shiro dropped a shell onto his palm. Keith blinked, “A shell?”

Shiro held up another shell in between his fingers. “They’re a pair. I found a whole shell on the beach over there,” Shiro points, “And I had an idea.”

He takes the shell back for a moment and shows Keith how they fit together, then returns it.

“To show that we’ll always be friends. We’ll always be together, even when we’re apart.”

Shiro knew how concerned he was with him leaving for Kerberos.

Keith felt his eyes welling with tears, but he pushed them back sharply.

Instead he smiles, one of his rare ones, and says, “I’ll treasure it.”

_

He’s taking something from his pockets, accidently causing the shell to fall out. He scrambles for it, but it too late. It’s in Lance’s hand.

“What’s this? I never took you for a beach lover, what with living in the desert and all.”

“Give it back.”

“Dude, chill,” Lance raises an eyebrow at Keith’s aggressive tone.

Little does he know Keith is scared that it broke, or it will break in Lance’s hands. He doesn’t know – he’ll never know – just how important it is to him. So he won’t be careful.

“Lance, just ask and give it back already,” Pidge doesn’t sneer, but she tries and if Keith wasn’t so distracted he’d have found it adorable.

“Man, come on. Why do you have a shell on you?” But Lance doesn’t give it back, waving it around instead.

Keith snatches for it but is just a tick too slow.

“Whoa, man, this must be really important to you.”

“If you realize that, then you should know to give it back.”

“Hm. I dunno-“

“Lance,” Shiro cuts in, “Return it to him.”

At that tone of voice, the shell is back in his hands a tick later. He tucks it away and looks at Shiro, not wanting to look at Lance and have to resist punching him.

There’s a contemplative look on Shiro’s face, and he’s staring at Keith’s belt.

His heart skips a beat, but he pushes down the hopeful feeling.

He couldn’t take the heartbreak.

_

It’s nighttime.

Not really.

In space there is no “night” or “day.”

It’s just the time when they sleep.

But Keith can’t sleep. Instead, he pulls out the picture he keeps in his belt, alongside the shell.

It’s a picture of the two of them. They’re half-embracing and are facing the camera. They’re all smiles and laughs, Shiro’s hand on his shoulders and his around Shiro’s waist. He thinks Matt took the picture, but he can’t quite remember. He was never on good of terms with Matt as with Shiro. But they were friendly enough.

He doesn’t cry. He can’t. He can’t show such weakness.

Such desperation.

But, oh, does he long for it.

The way Shiro would ruffle his hair, talk to him freely, and crack jokes with him.

God, does he miss it.

He rests the picture on his face, wishing it could be their foreheads touching. Just like Shiro did before he left.

But he doesn’t have that anymore.

All he has are his memories, a photograph, and a shell.


End file.
